Minority Student Recruitment and Retention: Preface

Racial/ethnic minorities are still considered
underrepresented populations in most US professions. The
disciplines of speech-language pathology and audiology are no
exception. In 2003, only about 7% of the 110,000 members of
the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association are members of
racial/ethnic minority groups. Successful entry into the
professions of speech-language pathology and audiology requires a
journey through higher education, including graduate level
study. That journey, for many racial/ethnic minorities, has
been an insurmountable barrier and has limited our ability to
increase the diversity of the professions.

The challenges posed by the participation of
racial/ethnic minorities in higher education have yet to be
overcome. Relative to their demographic, these students
have historically been underrepresented at the collegiate
level. The projected gap in these numbers continues to
grow.

Research shows that a racially and ethnically
diverse university student body has far-ranging and significant
benefits for all students, non-minorities and minorities
alike. Students learn more in a diverse environment, and
leave school better prepared to actively participate in a
pluralistic society. Students with diverse life experiences
have been found to have and maintain more cross-racial
interactions five years after leaving college. We need to
allow students to experience diversity so that students from the
dominant culture recognize that they do not necessarily represent
the norm, but merely a segment of US culture.

Experience with diverse populations in formal
education definitely has its benefits, but providing that
experience to all students presents a significant
challenge. Our current educational systems are fraught with
inequity at a number of levels; not all students receive even
basic benefits. The assumptions of a K-12 education are not
met for many students, especially racial/ethnic minorities, and
not all students have access to educational programs that will
support and allow for successful matriculation through and beyond
high school.

The advantages of diversity on college and
university campuses have been documented and debated, but there
is no denying the demographic changes our country is
experiencing. That these changes will impact the overall
economic future of our society is not debatable. A trained
workforce has been the hallmark of our country's success for
some time and we've experienced significant economic gains as
a result of it. As the makeup of the population with
potential to enter the workforce changes, it is imperative that
necessary training and education be provided. If we continue with
the status quo, we run the risk of having exclusionary campuses
and further bifurcating the nation's economy. Those
with access and advantage will continue to have it, but the
have-nots will also continue-
not
having.

The financial cost of an education,
especially higher education, is prohibitive for a large number of
racial/ethnic minorities. But the total cost is measured in
more than just dollars. Those students able to afford an
education or find financial support may be unaware of the range
of career options available, may not meet stringent admission
requirements (especially those based on standardized test
results), may encounter insensitive faculty and/or an uninviting
campus environment, and deal with feelings of isolation and
alienation.

US demographic projections indicate that by
the year 2020, one third of the population will consist of
racial/ethnic minority groups. Diversity of this magnitude
will require an increased sensitivity on the part of academic
programs to the needs of minority students, will mandate pedagogy
that reflects a variety of experiences, and must implement
learning styles most beneficial to students from diverse
groups.

Many universities have attempted to meet the
challenge of increased diversity head on, but with
anti-affirmative action legislation and efforts to curb special
programming targeting minority students, more and more of our
potential workforce will not obtain appropriate training.

Though significant efforts have been made to
establish equity in our educational system, overall we
haven't found much success. Those for whom the system
was built are far more successful in matriculating through that
system than those who have attempted to assimilate into it.
Generally, our efforts to develop parallel systems or to
integrate new populations into pre-existing systems have met with
mixed results, at best. A guiding principle has been that
access is enough
. But access, a huge barrier in and of itself, is not the
only factor to consider in relation to successful matriculation
of students through a given program. Each institution must
examine its particular situation and develop unique strategies
and practices to aid students. One framework does not fit
all.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association has provided resources and technical assistance to
academic programs in Human Communication Sciences and Disorders,
demonstrating a commitment to assist efforts to recruit and
retain racial/ethnic minorities. One of the most helpful
resources ASHA has been able to provide is descriptions of
programs that have had some success attracting underrepresented
populations, and sharing that information with ASHA
members.

To ensure that ASHA's disciplines reap
the benefits of a diverse membership and that we are
well-positioned to provide appropriate services to all members of
society, it is imperative that we take action and develop any
tools that will help us accomplish these goals. In 2001,
the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association established a
three-year Focused Initiative on Culturally and Linguistically
Diverse Populations. Between 2001 and 2003, two outcomes
were identified as targets. One of those outcomes was an increase
in the number of ASHA members from racial/ethnic minority
populations. Both long-term and short-term strategies have been
initiated to achieve this goal.

Among the long-term strategies was the
compilation of successful recruitment, retention, and career
transition strategies for increasing the numbers of racial/ethnic
minorities in graduate and professional programs, and the
dissemination of this information to Communication Sciences and
Disorders programs.

The resulting documents include a literature
review that describes recruitment, retention and career
transition practices currently in use in professions other than
Communication Sciences and Disorders, as well as a compendium of
descriptions of a number of programs in place in Communication
Sciences and Disorders academic programs. The strategies
and practices highlighted may be relevant to any number of
academic programs in our professions. It is our hope that
administrators and faculty responsible for recruitment and
retention in CSD programs will identify opportunities to
replicate these strategies. It is likely that not all of
the programs as described will be replicable in any given
academic institution, and that in rare cases, none of the
programs would work at a particular academic institution.
As previously stated, one framework does not fit all.
However, it is likely that some key elements of the programs will
be viable and could be adapted for any given
institution.

It is recommended that an institution review
the descriptions provided, and calculate the resources required
for implementation of compatible strategies. The size of a
program, the number of faculty, the availability of financial
support, research or other requirements that may absorb faculty
time, available externship sites, and proximity to communities of
culturally and linguistically diverse populations, may all have a
significant effect on successful replication of any of the
strategies described. It is advisable that every effort be
made to enlist the support of the majority of a department prior
to implementing any of the strategies. The rationale for
implementing the strategies should include some projection of the
program's return on their investment.

Our Partners

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About Us

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 182,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students.